Climate Change versus Climate Variability Clause Samples

Climate Change versus Climate Variability. The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate variability as the spatial and temporal variations in the mean, standard deviation and occurrences of extreme events of the climate, for example, temperature and rainfall (IPCC, 2001). Climate change, on the other hand, is defined as any change in climate over time whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007). This definition complements that by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which defines climate change as a change in climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere, and that is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods (IPCC, 2007; UNDP, 2009). Climate variability can be determined between and within seasons while climate change factors require long-term data of about a decade or more. Evidence of climate variability include the following: seasonal changes in rainfall amount; number of rain days; start of the rains; temperature and frequency of extreme weather events. Climate change can be ascertained through its effects that include frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (e.g. floods and droughts). The definition adopted in this study is not limited to whether the variability or change is attributed to natural or human activity. This study acknowledges the complexity of validating climate change and therefore focuses on the effects as perceived by the communities. However, climate variability was determined using rainfall and temperature data. In Malawi, floods and droughts have increased in intensity and frequency since the year 2000 (GOM, 2006). Late rains (onset of planting rains) are occurring every year in most parts of the country. It has also been observed that in some areas, planting time has shifted from November to December or January and late planting has negative effects on productivity of long duration crops. In the agricultural sector, areas most affected the negative effects of climate change are the semi-arid districts. Therefore this study was conducted in two districts representing the semi-arid areas of Malawi to assess the effects of climate variability crop productivity and livelihoods in general; and ▇▇▇▇▇▇’▇ adaptation strategies. Climate change and variability are the major challenges to increased crop productivity and food security. Although they are natural phenomenon that vary...